PDA

View Full Version : getting home



theodusius
03-05-2004, 08:43
It's a long ways away, but I've been thinking about getting home after Katahdin. Best way I can think of is to send myself a duffel to my last mail drop, and use that to pack my bag and gear in after getting to the Bangor airport. Any better strategies out there?

max patch
03-05-2004, 09:24
Don't know if its "better" or not, but after my hike I went to the WalMart/K-Mart (don't recall) in town and bought jeans, etc for the train ride home rather than using a maildrop.

Peaks
03-05-2004, 10:03
Getting home from Baxter State Park really isn't a problem. Every year, hundreds of thru-hikers do it.

For suggestions, first read the applicable pages of Wingfoot's Handbook or the ALDHA Companion.

If you are flying, do it out of either Bangor, Portland, or Boston. Their is express bus all the way to Logan Airport. And it's comfortable, and much nicer than sitting in a car for several hours.

If you want to put your pack into a duffle bag for the airline, then, either buy one in Bangor or have one sent to you in Millinocket.

Jack Tarlin
03-05-2004, 11:05
Peaks said it all.

mindlessmariachi
03-05-2004, 14:05
after summitting katahdin, i was able to hitch all the way to Augusta that afternoon, and got the bus all the way to boston by that evening!

rumbler
03-05-2004, 14:09
Think about taking the train home. It is a fun way to decompress, and this is probably one of the few times when taking a few days to travel won't dent your schedule.

It leaves out of Portland, which is an easy bus ride from Bangor. And after two or three days on a train, you will be really quite ready to get home, which I was not when I left Millinocket.

jec6613
03-05-2004, 16:35
I'd agree with the train idea. Send/purchase some cleaner clothes and book a sleeper cabin on a train out on Amtrak, it's a great way to relax and think about your hike (especially as some of the same countryside passes by you at 100+ MPH and you wonder "why didn't I do it this way???". Also, you don't need to "decon" your pack by removing all of the fuel and everything and hoping you don't miss anything. Packs in duffel bags are like waving a big red flag and saying "search me! search me!" to the TSA and you KNOW they'll never get it back together right and you'll spend 2-3 days at home reassembling your pack.

You can shrink wrap your pack too - the airlines and TSA like that better for some reason.

And, of course, if you're really tough you'd just walk home from the end of your trip :p

Peaks
03-05-2004, 17:04
Amtrak is great.

However, check the schedules. If you catch it in Portland, it drops you at North Station in Boston. All other trains leave from South Station. So, you will need to take the MBTA Subway across town, or cab. (or hike if you are still so inclined.)

From Boston, the High Speed line gets you all the way to DC if you want to go that far. But it connects with other trains going to other destinations.

Train fares are cheaper if bought 7 days in advance. So, you might make your reservation and buy a ticket in Monson before starting the 100 miles.

smokymtnsteve
03-05-2004, 17:29
chinatown bus...cheap

http://www.staticleap.com/chinatownbus/

Moose2001
03-05-2004, 20:01
If you have several people who are going in the same general direction, you might look at doing a one-way car rental. We rented a car in Bangor to Roanoke. Cost us $180 which we split 3 ways. No worries about packs or stove, or inspectors. Was a nice way to see the sights as we drove South.

mm2004at
03-16-2004, 12:11
I got lucky and was able to position my car in NH (not as good as Maine, but better than the Midwest where I'm living). So it's a pretty easy bus ride or hitch to pick it up (or I can just walk back a few miles if I'm not too tired!)

I'm planning a road trip down the East Coast after I finish, to catch up with a few people I want to see. Perhaps I'll swing back by Baxter and see if anybody's headed my way. :cool:

retread
03-16-2004, 23:57
Don't worry about the Red Sea that lies ahead....just trust that when you get there , the waters will part.

The magic will continue long after the hike has ended.

I finished the trail with Tigger and her mom came up and picked her up. They dropped me off at a truck stop in Bangor. After asking around for about 4 hours, I got a ride with a guy who would have taken me all the way to Atlanta if I hadn't been going to The Gathering in Pipestem. He dropped me off at another truck stop in Wytheville, Va. where I got a ride into Wva. The truck was a blast! I had never riden in an 18 wheeler before and it was a trip. Although after all those months in the woods everything seemed really LOUD. The driver and I started out talking about hiking but he didn't know anything about that so then we started talking about trucking but I didn't know anything about that so we wound up talking about women since neither one of us knew anything about that!

george232
10-28-2004, 05:07
Check to see whether there is a Chinatown Bus line that is good for you:

http://www.ivymedia.com (http://www.ivymedia.com/) - searchable Chinatown Bus schedules

Boo Boo
10-28-2004, 08:19
I just found it more exciting to hitch hike. I've made as far as Miss Janet's house.

-Boo Boo GA=>ME=>?? '04